Research on the correlation between regional perceptions and recommendation behavior of the domestic tourists visiting Mersin

Turkey has a high potential for cultural tourism in terms of its historic and cultural qualities. But, scientific researches indicate, this potential cannot be used sufficiently. However, cultural tourism is among the most revenue generating types of tourism. One of the ways for improving cultural tourism is; identifying the perceptions of the participants of the cultural tourism towards the region and developing these perceptions positively. Researches show positive correlation between favorable regional perception and recommendation behavior and/or revisiting tendency. This study primarily aims to identify if the regional perceptions of the cultural tourists are favorable or unfavorable and secondly analyze if there is differentiation on the perception depending on the demographics of the participants. Another aim of the study is identifying the correlation, if there is any, between the regional perceptions and recommendation behavior of the participants. According to the frequency analysis and exploratory factor analysis of the data collected from 299 participants who visited Mersin between June 15 and July 15 2018 domestic tourists’ regional perception about Mersin is favorable. Analysis of the T test and ANOVA test shows that regional perception does not differentiate with participants’ gender, marital status, occupation and level of education but it differentiates according to age and level of education. Another finding is that; results of the regression analysis remarks positive correlation between regional perception and recommendation behavior of the participants